Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks Commit $850K to Seven North Texas Giving Day Nonprofits

Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks

September 24, 2018 | Giving Around Texas

Hours after Mark Cuban announced his $10 million commitment to women’s advocacy nonprofits, Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks committed the first $850,000 to seven organizations participating in North Texas Giving Day. This first installment is dedicated to nonprofits focused on supporting women and preventing domestic violence serving in the North Texas area. These seven nonprofits include: The Gatehouse ($250,000); Genesis Women’s Shelter ($100,000); Girls Inc. of Metropolitan… Read more »

Jeff Bezos on his Billion Day One Fund

Jeff Bezos

September 24, 2018 | Funders and Foundations

I talk often about the importance of maintaining a Day mentality. It’s always Day 1, and I work hard to apply that mindset to everything I do. It was a Day 1 outlook that made me reach out to ask for suggestions on approaches to philanthropy last year. By so many important measures the world keeps getting better, and it’s one of the fantastic… Read more »

Reliant Donations to EarthShare of Texas Top $1 Million

Reliant

September 24, 2018 | Giving Around Texas

Whether it’s improving outdoor green spaces in urban areas, helping local farmers preserve their land or saving native wildlife, one thing is certain: Texans are passionate about supporting their communities and making the Lone Star State the best place to live and work. Reliant’s EcoShare program is a great example of that commitment with support from customers achieving donations to EarthShare of Texassurpassing the… Read more »

Texas Instruments Grants $8.1 Million to Provide Access to Education in Under-resourced Areas Throughout North Texas

Texas Instruments Foundation

September 24, 2018 | Giving Around Texas

Texas Instruments (TI) announced  that its corporate and foundation education grants total $8.1 million in 2018, of which $6.9 million (85%) aims to improve kindergarten through 12th grade science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. More than 155,000 area students and nearly 7,000 local educators are impacted by the grants, 97% of which target under-resourced students in the Dallas area. Grant recipients include a… Read more »

Why Does Your Board Micromanage? Learn from My Error and Create a Board that Governs

Karen Eber Davis

September 24, 2018 | How tos

It was a beautiful August morning. Twenty campers and four counselors outfitted in orange lifejackets paddled silver canoes across a glassy blue lake in northern New Hampshire.    We pulled up to a sand spit. As we unloaded, I, one of the junior counselors, muttered, “I wish I had a brownie. We should have brought snacks.”   In response, all twenty campers moaned in… Read more »

The Best of Planet Earth in Action When Government Fails Us: The Philanthropic Community Announces $4 Billion Commitment to Combat Climate Change

Climate Action Network (CAN) International

September 24, 2018 | Environment, Funders and Foundations, Impact & Sustainable Investing, Leadership, Strong Communities

Last week, 29 philanthropists pledged $4 billion over the next five years to combat climate change—the largest-ever philanthropic investment focused on climate change mitigation. The announcement, made at the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) in San Francisco, represents a broad global commitment to accelerate proven climate and clean-energy strategies, spur innovation and support organizations around the world working to protect the air they breathe and the communities they call home.

The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning Unveils Major Initiative to Increase Degree Attainment Among Latino Adult Students

The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) and Excelencia in Education

September 24, 2018 | News

The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), in partnership with Excelencia in Education, today announced a new effort to help Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) increase the number of degrees awarded to adult Latino students. Funded by The Kresge Foundation, Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation & Affiliates and Greater Texas Foundation, the initiative will provide 15 HSIs with diagnostic tools and programmatic support to implement… Read more »

A very interesting breakdown: 2018’s Most & Least Diverse States in America

Wallet Hub

September 24, 2018 | News

With Hispanic Heritage Month in full swing and the leadership in Fortune 500 companies still dominated by Caucasian males, the personal-finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2018’s Most & Least Diverse States in America as well as accompanying videos. To determine where the most idea and identity exchanges have occurred at the highest level in the U.S. — and where the population… Read more »

GCBO Co-sponsoring Rice University Course – Discover the variety of birds in the Texas Gulf Coast from the yellow-crowned night heron to the peregrine falcon, with a guided birdwatching field trip.

Gulf Coast Bird Observatory

September 17, 2018 | Events

As a world-renowned region for birding, the Texas Gulf Coast is home to a great number and variety of beautiful birds. The roseate spoonbill, the yellow-crowned night heron, the American avocet, the scissor-tailed flycatcher and the peregrine falcon are just a few examples of birds that can be found either in Houston or within a short drive. In this introduction to birding—one of the… Read more »

MUST READ: Case Foundation study shows how Americans aged 18-30 are influenced to care about and act on major movements and social issues

The Case Foundation

September 17, 2018 | News

The research, based on a nationally representative sample of 1,100 young people surveyed in August, provides intriguing insights into the lives and thinking of Young Americans, including the key role television news plays in informing this young generation about social issues, their high intention to vote in the November midterm elections, and their feelings about social issues and the direction of the country.

$6.6 million grant from Laura and John Arnold Foundation to fund Texas Policy Lab at Rice University

Rice University

September 17, 2018 | Giving Around Texas

Rice University’s School of Social Sciences will launch an effort this fall to work side-by-side with Texas’ officeholders and state agencies to solve some of the state’s most pressing problems. The Texas Policy Lab, which is supported by a $6.6 million grant from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation (LJAF), will use cutting-edge research and analysis to offer measurable solutions for policymakers. Social Sciences… Read more »

Shape your organizational culture – Discover strategies based on latest research

San Antonio Area Foundation

September 17, 2018 | Events

How does a value-based culture impact both employee and organizational performance? Explore the ethical dimensions that shape culture at our Organizational Ethics and Values workshop on Wednesday, Sept. 26. This course incorporates the latest research on ethical or value-based organizational culture to understand its importance and positive impact on employees and organizational performance. In this course, we’ll review the conceptual underpinnings of ethical and value-based… Read more »

Funding Alert

The Department of State Health Services (DSHS)

September 17, 2018 | Grants Available

Funding News and Grant Tips  New Savings Accounts Offered to Texans with Disabilities http://dshs.texas.gov/fic/al29-5-4.aspx#A Recurring Donors 440 Percent More Valuable Than ‘One-Off’ Donors http://dshs.texas.gov/fic/al29-5-4.aspx#B Public Funding Opportunities   Diabetes and Heart Disease & Stroke Prevent Programs – Innovative State and Local Public Health Strategies to Prevent and Manage Diabetes and Heart Disease and Stroke: CDC-RFA-DP18-1817 http://dshs.texas.gov/fic/al29-5-4.aspx#C Evidence-Based Cancer Prevention Services: RFA P-19.1-EBP http://dshs.texas.gov/fic/al29-5-4.aspx#D Expansion… Read more »

Texas Commission on the Arts Announces Over $4 Million in Grants across Texas, Designates Four New Cultural Districts

Texas Commission on the Arts

September 9, 2018 | Giving Around Texas

The Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) has approved funding of 802 grants in its first funding round for fiscal year 2019. The grants total over $4 million and will go to nonprofits and units of government in 115 cities. These grants include all of the Arts Create program grants, the first of two funding rounds for the Arts Respond Project program, the quarterly… Read more »

Saved his life – Help give a young grizzly a home 🐻 and YOU can have the opportunity to name him

International Exotic Animal Sanctuary Newsletter

September 9, 2018 | News

Please. Look at this sweet young bear. That face! Please help the IEAS welcome their newest resident, a young grizzly bear. Through no fault of his own, this poor guy was in need of a permanent home or else he faced euthanasia. We couldn’t allow that to happen. After many phone calls and a trip that exceeded 24 hours, he is now at his forever home. Now that he has been saved from such a terrible fate, help us with renovating a place for him to stay permanently. What a lucky young bear.

September 2018 Exhibitions & Public Programs

Lawndale

September 9, 2018 | News

/// The Big Show Preview Party/// Thursday, September 13 from 7 – 9 PM $100 Lawndale Members, $125 General We invite you to join this year’s participating artists in celebration of The Big Show and launch of the Lawndale Lending Library, all while supporting Lawndale! Tickets not only include early access to The Big Show 2018 (minus the crowds!), access to the open bar, chicken… Read more »

Nonprofit rate of job growth outpaces for-profit rate by over 3-1 over the last decade

John's Hop[kins Center for Civil Society Studies

September 9, 2018 | News

Data just released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics using a technique first developed by the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies shows that the nonprofit sector continued its steady record of significant job growth through 2016, the latest date for which data are available, outpacing the rate of for-profit job growth by over 3 to 1

NETWORKS FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT – Working together to help students succeed

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

September 9, 2018 | Giving Around Texas

The Networks for School Improvement (NSI) portfolio includes grants to organizations who will support groups of middle and high schools working together to identify and solve common problems using approaches that best fit their needs, learning what works as they go and refining their approaches. We invest in partnerships between networks of schools and school support organizations. They will work together to identify and… Read more »

“Hot, hot, hot!” newsletter wins summer “Best Newsletter” award . . . and congratulations to Jessica & Bart!

Shumla Archaeological Center

September 3, 2018 | News

  AUGUST 2018   Summer’s over but the fun has just begun!     Note from the Director   This summer was hot, hot, hot! Both in temperatures and activity at Shumla. We had three great summer interns (as you’ll read below), we moved headquarters (as you read in our last eNews), and we wrapped up the first full year of Alexandria Project field… Read more »

HURRICANE HARVEY RELIEF FUND RELEASES EVALUATION AND IMPACT REPORT

The Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund (HHRF)

September 3, 2018 | Giving Around Texas

The Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund (HHRF) released an evaluation and lessons learned memo to share third-party findings regarding theFund’s activity. The memo, compiled by FSG, shares insights about the Fund’s operationsand forward-looking considerations for future philanthropic disaster relief responses in Houston and beyond. Submitted by Advisory Board co-chairs, Tony Chase and Bill Jackson, the evaluation memo includes recommendations to maintain flexibility and transparency in… Read more »